Elliot Steeves – Staff Writer

The Organization of Latinx American Students held their annual Latinx Night on April 14th from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in Alumni Hall. The event centered around the “LatinXcellencia” theme, highlighting the success of Latinx people throughout history.

The event featured students and professionals partaking in a range of performances, along with free food based in LatinX culture. A great number of students were eager to prepare their part in making the night a success.

“When we were coming up with the theme, we wanted to make it really broad, and not pigeonhole ourselves into one area. With Latin excellence, the theme is extremely broad, and there are so many things that Latin America has done that you could recognize as great,” Junior Anthony Hernandez, the current OLAS risk manager, said.

The student performers consisted of those both on and off campus at Gustavus, including multiple singers, dancers, and a violinist. The Student performers included Mike Marinez, Christina Sirbu, Martiza Beltran, Ronald Romero, and Ana Martinez Magnaña. On violin was Jasmin Moreira, along with her father Jorge. 

Additionally, there were a number of professional performers layered into the proceedings. Among these were Ecuadorian and Peruvian dance groups, and a Mariachi band. The Mariachi group was a popular carryover from the previous year’s edition of the night. The professional performances were done by Mi Peru-Minnesota, Mariachi Jalisco, and Away Runakana. 

The event is the biggest moment of the year for OLAS and allows them to show what they do for the promotion and outreach of Latin American culture on a wider scale than any other time during the year.

“It’s where we have the most fun, and it’s what we dedicate the most time to. As soon as the spring semester hits, we only have around one additional event during the semester, because most of our focus is on LatinX night,” Hernandez said.

“Last year, we had an amazing outcome, with 350 people in attendance. It is a really liked event that people look forward to,” Junior Andrea Cruz Bracamontes, Representative to the Diversity and Leadership Council, said.

The event also encompasses the full diversity of every part of Latin America, as well as the Latin American student body at Gustavus.

“We try to find a variety of performances to promote the culture on campus. We try to have people from other schools come, to show Gustavus what Latin American culture really is. People think this culture is homogeneous when in reality there is so much variety to it,” Cruz said.

OLAS is extremely collaborative in how they plan events like LatinX night, without much of a structured hierarchy.

“We all do a little bit of everything. I have helped plan maybe three to four events, but we all help out on each event; even if someone is taking the lead, we are all helping regardless,” Cruz continued.

“Usually, if we need something quickly, I will go down to the activities office. The role is flexible; as risk manager, I also solve any internal problems if they arise,” Hernandez said.

The event is also a larger way for the group to advertise itself to prospective students who want to join.

“It showcases OLAS to a broader audience; oftentimes, students don’t even know what OLAS is, and how fun it can be, as well as engaging. It entices students to come and join the organization,” Cruz said. 

The Organization of Latinx-American Students is a group that preserves and promotes LatinX-American culture within the Gustavus and St. Peter community by hosting events that represent empathy, inclusion, and belonging, wrote the organization in their mission statement. They also seek to provide a place of empathy and cultural inclusion for LatinX students at Gustavus.

“We create a community of students regardless of educational background. We try to create a community to uplift voices regardless of cultural place, and try to educate people about it,” Cruz said.

“We are a welcoming space for everyone, not just Latinos and Latinas. We do a good job of sharing our culture on the campus, and making it fun and interesting enough to enjoy as well. Part of teaching the culture is making sure that it is engaging, so we get to sit down and interact with one another,” Hernandez said.

OLAS has done several collaborations with other groups on campus in the past, as a way to find intersectionality with other groups on campus. This has included community engagement events with the Model United Nations, Asian Student Union, and Hmong American Cultural Outreach.

Catering for the event was supplied by El Burrito, El Agave, Mañana Restaurant, and La Colonia.